A Different Take
by KotonaruKibo
Summary: The story of Ranger's Apprentice, but with my own little twist in certain parts of the story. BEWARE! It's rated M for a reason, you know. Don't like, don't read. Will/Halt.
1. Chapter 1

**Sooo this is my first fic so please don't judge too harsh! If you haven't read the books, this story may be a bit confusing. I mostly just picked parts in order out of the books and added in my own little ideas. I own nothing about Ranger's Apprentice! I leave that to John Flanagan!**

Will sat in his tree, observing the Baron's study. His stomach clenched in nervous tension at what he was about to do. Earlier that day, he had not been selected by any of the craftsmasters. Halt had then mysteriously appeared in the Baron's study, with him a piece of paper that could very well determine Will's future.

The young boy started from his thoughts as the light in the Baron's study flicked out. Time for action. Will slid easily down the tree, using patches of shadow to mask his movements across the courtyard as he made his way to the tower holding Baron Arald's study and bedrooms. He hesitated at the base of the tower, weighing the consequences of being caught over his curiosity. The decision was made for him when the sentry at the bottom of the tower started his rounds- and heading straight for him. Will launched himself silently up the wall. In a matter of minutes his hands grasped the ledge of the window to the study. He gently launched himself over and into the study. He reached his hand out to the letter. Right when the tip of his finger touched the parchment, a hand shot out of nowhere and grasped his wrist.

Will whipped his head around, searching for the face that belonged to the worn hand around his arm. It's matching half, however, gripped his head and forced his gaze forward. "Caught you." A deep, grizzled voice whispered in his ear. Will gasped as something hot and wet touched the shell of his ear- a tongue. A shiver ran down his spine, and he let out a noise involuntarily. Was it… a moan? The deep voice let out a low chuckle. His head was turned abruptly, and his lips captured in the same manner. His mouth opened in gasp, and his violator took advantage and shoved his tongue inside.

Will was suddenly released, and he shot an accusing glare at whoever had just taken advantage of him. He found himself face to face with Halt. The _ranger_ Halt. The older man grabbed the letter off the desk and headed out of the room. "Coming?" he asked Will. The younger boy had no choice but to follow him into the Baron's rooms. The light was on, and Baron Arald awake when they entered. Obviously, he had been expecting them. Halt told the baron about Will ghosting across the yard, the climbing up the tower. "Well, Will, for your punishment, you might as well read the letter." Arald said after. Halt handed him the letter. Will took it, dumbfounded. He slowly opened the parchment, and read the words inside. Halt wanted him as an apprentice? That meant a life without being on a farm. That also meant living with a perverted old man. A _gay _perverted old man. But anything was better than living on a farm forever, right?

The next morning, he walked into Halt's cabin in the woods.

**Sorry it's so short, just wanted to test out the story first. Hope you liked it! please R&R!**

**~Ko**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter will be longer, I promise! I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. I own nothing about Ranger's Apprentice, that's John Flanagan's job!**

Will's first day consisted of him doing several chores, while Halt sat on the veranda or at the table inside and read through his stack of mail. Nothing too unusual occurred, until about mid-afternoon, after Will had finished scrubbing the pots and pans.

As the young apprentice walked back inside the cabin, he ran into Halt, who grabbed him to keep them from falling over. For a moment, they just stood there, looking at each other, until Halt gently pressed his lips against Wills.

The ranger's hands stayed around his apprentices back, both of their eyes closing as the kiss deepened.

"Halt…" Will moaned quietly. He let the grizzled ranger take him inside, trying his best to ignore everything but the feeling of lips on his own and the sensations caused by the warm, strong hands on his back.

He felt Halt move his mouth down his jawline, then onto his neck and collar bone. Will's face turned red at the noises that seemed impossible to stop from coming out of him mouth.

Will was jerked to his senses when he felt something grab him _down there_.

"Halt!" The apprentice suddenly exclaimed, pushing the older male back away from him.

There they stood, facing each other again. Will had a wild look about him, while only the ranger's eyes betrayed the lust he was felt.

Will let his hands drop from his mentor's shoulders, exhaling heavily.

"Why…" He whispered, but the ranger had already disappeared.

The next day, Halt brought Will into he forest. The teen's nerves were on edge. Would Halt try to attack him again? And would he be able to stop the older man this time, before he did something he would surely regret?

Would he regret it?

And that was the hardest question of all, because he really didn't know the answer.

As it turned out, Will was afraid for nothing. Halt had showed him a ranger's weapons; the bow (though Will's was a recurve, rather than a full longbow), the Saxe knife, and the throwing knife. Halt observed Will practicing with them for hours, until the sun had set and sweat was pouring from the apprentice.

They walked back in silence. To Halt, it was normal and comfortable. For Will, it was awkward and deafening. He knew that his teacher resented him asking questions, so he tried to ignore how they seemed to bash against the inside of his head, urging him to let them out.

"Halt?" He finally gave in.

The ranger stopped and turned to face him, a neutral expression in place. "Yes?"

"Do you have a wife? Or have you ever had one?"

"What do you think? Don't ask stupid questions."

"Sorry, Halt."

And they continued in silence once again until they reached the cabin.

**Well this one certainty felt longer, though I don't think it is by much… Oh well. I know the characters are probably reeeaaally OOC, but what can I do. Anyway, please R&R!**

**~Ko**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyy! Well, I feel like I should post a lot of stories and chapters now because I'll be gone for a month, starting June 14th. Because my best friend is in England this summer, I'm flying out to go see her for a month, and I won't be bringing my laptop with me! While I'm excited about going all the way from Dallas to London, I'm sad that I'll be away for so long. So, to make up for my absence, I'll just post a bunch until I leave and hopefully that will be enough until I come back.**

One morning, Halt woke Will and the two set off early, just as the sun was reaching up into the sky. On the way to wherever they were headed, Halt made his apprentice identify animal tracks, and occasionally stopped to watch him as he tried to move through the forest unseen.

The boy was good, Halt grudgingly admitted. When he was older, he might even surpass himself.

About mid-afternoon, they finally arrived at a small clearing. In it sat a wood cabin, even smaller than Halt's, a round pen and a stable.

There, Will met the smelly old horse breeder, Old Bob, and he got his first horse. As he lay in the straw in the stable, he sat up and gazed fondly at his horse, Tug. The small pony returned his stare, giving a soft whinny before closing his eyes and promptly falling asleep.

Will quietly lay back down, crossing his arms behind his head and staring at the thatch roof of the stable. Before he realized it himself, he had joined Tug in sleeping.

Sometime just before midnight, Halt ghosted into the stable, checking up on his apprentice. He found the boy stretched out on a bed of straw, nearby to Tug's pen.

He silently moved over to Will, unconsciously matching his movements to the pattern of shadow on the ground, cast lazily about by the crooked stable windows.

He stopped next to Will, who, after a moment, was woken by his presence.

Will flipped in his make-shift bed, turning his head to find the presence that had alert him to awake-ness. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dim lighting, and he saw his craftsmaster standing above him.

"Halt…?" Will asked quietly.

"Just came to see how you were faring in here. It gets cold about this time, so I thought you might have frozen."

Actually, Will was feeling cold. Despite the fact that he kept his warm boots on, and had wrapped up in his cloak to sleep, he had been shivering.

Halt reached forward and touched the apprentice's hand. It felt like ice to him.

"Your hands are freezing!" Halt exclaimed

"And yours are burning!" Will joked in reply.

"Here" Halt said, grasping both of Will hands in his own, rubbing them back and forth to warm them up.

Will sat awkwardly, a blush rising in his cheeks. Wait- why was he blushing? Halt was just rubbing some feeling back into his hands, was all. Nothing more.

Unconsciously, Will had been scooting closer to halt, his body craving the warmth. Halt noticed, and moved closer to the boy to help.

When the two were touching shoulders, Will finally noticed and the red on his face deepened. But he didn't pull away; he sighed in resignation and gave in to his want- he leaned his head on Halt's shoulder, snuggling into the heat.

Now, it was Halt's turn to be surprised at Will's bold action. He didn't show it, however, and instead wrapped his arms around the cold figure.

Will closed his eyes. He was in bliss. Halt was so _warm_. He pushed his cold nose into Halt's exposed flesh at his neck. He breathed in, smelling wood and fire and _home_. Because that was what Halt was to him now. Home.

Halt looked down at Will and gently grasped his chin with his fingers. He brought the boy's mouth to his own, surprised when he felt a response.

Will leaned greedily into the kiss. He didn't want it to stop. He felt hot,as if every place in his body had fire racing through it. He shifted so that he was in Halt's lap, almost straddling him.

Will ran his hands down Halt's strong chest, wanting to touch bare skin. Moodily, he yanked up the ranger's tunic, shoving his hands inside the new opening.

Halt moaned into he kiss as he felt Will's hands tracing the hard lines of his stomach and chest. He broke apart and fwipped his tunic over his head, shortly followed by Will's. He pushed the apprentice back so that he was lying down in the straw bed. Their chests brushed against each other as they resumed their passionate kissing.

Halt moved his lips away from the other mouth, moving it to Will's collar bone instead. He sucked and bit the flesh lightly until it bruised.

Will rewarded him by letting out a loud moan, and Halt had a moment of triumph. Then one of alarm. He reached his hand up and covered Will's mouth with it. Halt moved his lips to the apprentice's ear, whispering huskily, "If you want to continue, you have to control your voice. We can't have Old Bob coming in the stable, wondering what that strange moaning noise is, now can we?"

Will blushed furiously and shook his head. Halt lightly ran his tongue along Will's ear, causing the boy to shiver, before moving his mouth to Will's nipple. He used one hand to pinch and roll the right nipple, while he used his mouth on the left side. He flicked his tongue across the perky bump before taking it into his mouth and sucking it hard.

Will just barely restrained his cry of pleasure. He moved his hands to his mouth to muffle any noise coming out of it. He felt Halt move on from his chest, trailing his tongue down Will's flat stomach until he reached his trousers.

Halt barely paused, and yanked the garment down Will's legs. He was greeted by Will's painful looking erection. Might as well help him out, thought Halt.

Will let a low moan escape as he felt something hot and wet envelope his manhood. He pushed his hands over his mouth again, unsuccessfully trying to stanch the flow of moaning and groaning that burst out of him.

Halt used his hands to stroke Will's shaft as the played with tip with his tongue. Halt flicked out his tongue, licking off a drop of precum that had settled on top. He suddenly took the whole length into his mouth, bobbing quickly up and down. He still ran his hand up and down, getting where his mouth couldn't, and used his free hand to fondle the neglected balls.

Will shivered- he was so close. His hands were clamped over his mouth, his back arching up, everything in him being consumed by a raging fire as he came.

Halt swallowed several times, none of the sticky white leaking from his mouth. He leaned up, licking his lips and staring at Will.

The apprentice returned his master's stare, fighting to keep his breathing even.

Will leaned forward suddenly and captured Halt's lips. He tasted himself on Halt's tongue, in every aspect of his mouth as he pushed his tongue inside.

Halt broke off first. The ranger stood up, picking up his shirt and tossing Will's clothes at him.

"Goodnight." He said simply. "I hope that you've warmed up now."

Will watched as Halt disappeared, and then dressed himself. When his breathing finally regulated, Will covered his face with his hands, trying to ignore everything so _wrong_ about what just happened.

Halt was a man. He was twice Will's age. He was his craftsmaster, his mentor, someone who was supposed to be a fatherly figure to him. Not whatever is was that he was.

_This is so wrong!_ Will screamed inside his head. Despite his inner turmoil, though, he fell asleep quickly. Who knew that it took so much energy to- no, never mind.

Will drifted off to sleep.

**Ok, I know for sure that this one was longer. I hope you enjoyed it! Quite steamy, if I do say so myself. Please, R&R!**

**~Ko**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hallo! Nice of you to read this far. I guess that this means my story is semi-well written. I have no ownership of Ranger's Apprentice (though John Flanagan does). Anyway, on with the story I go!**

Several days passed with Halt watching Will as he practiced the many things that needed practicing. Will was too busy with learning all the maps, practicing with his weapons, looking after Tug, identifying animal tracks and trying to o unnoticed through the forest that he didn't have much time to think what happened at Old Bob's over.

And since nothing else had happened, Will has happy to keep the thoughts of Halt from him mind.

As he collapsed in bed after another tiring day, Will couldn't help that happiness that brought his lips to grinning. He felt something here that he never had anywhere else- a sense of belonging. Whenever he left, he knew that he had a place to come back, at Halt's cabin in the woods, in his own little room always kept neat and tidy.

Will had almost drifted off to sleep when he was woken up by his door opening. A small shaft of light reached into the room, throwing Will into a light that made him squint his eyes.

"Alright, get dressed again. Tonight is a good night to practice identifying things in the dark- there's no moon at all." Halt informed the apprentice.

Will sat up in his bed, groaning inwardly at the loss of sleep he would have. Despite how much he wanted to stay in his cozy bed, he was also thrilled at the prospect of learning comething new.

As Will jumped quickly out of bed and dressed, he didn't notice Halt comly watching him, a smirk almost in his eyes.

They saddled up Abelard and Tug and rode into the forest. After about half an hour of a steady walk, Halt stopped and turned to his apprentice.

"Now," Halt began, "tell me what you see."

Will looked around, searching for any sign that an animal had come through. His eyes raked over the snowy ground again and again, carefully looking for any disturbance.

"I don't see anything?" Will stated uncertaintly.

"Here we go again," Halt replied, "Answering questions with questions. I should make you do something every time you do that; maybe then you'd learn to be more confident in your answer, whether you're right or wrong."

Will gulped as he imagined all the things that he could do as punishment. It could be something simple, such as cleaning the whole house out, or maybe he would have to hit a certain target with his throwing knives. Or, thought Will with a shiver, He might have to do something in the realm of giving Halt a blowjob, or be forced to withstand one himself. Though, he added in, he might not mind it that much.

"If you're quite done with your mental perusing…" Halt said to snap his apprentice into focus.

"R-Right!" Will stuttered in reply. "I didn't see anything on the ground that would lead me to believe that an animal has come through."

"On the ground, you say? Have you ever thought of looking up?"

Will mentally bashed himself for not thinking of that. Often times when he was hiding in trees or up high, he had mused about how people seldom look up to find something. Now here he was, forgetting about the possibility himself.

Halt watched as Will glanced upward, taking stock of everything in tree branches. He couldn't help a feeling of pride as the apprentice noticed the scratches and disturbed snow on a low branch a few meters away.

"I see something, though I have no idea what kind of bird it is." Will told him.

"Ride closer and see. Did the bird just randomly fly away or was it scared by something? How big was it? Was it injured or healthy? Look close, and you can answer all of these questions just from those scratch marks.

Will rode up the branch, standing in his stirrups to get a closer look. The slashes on the branch looked hurried, as if the bird had taken off in a hurry. He moved his eyes down the branch and towards the trunk, looked for anything else that might tell him why. Very faintly imprinted on the tree, he saw smooth lines in a curved motion.

Looking back at the bird's makrs, Will gave his answer. "The bird is fully grown, though light so it might be a female. It was picking small twigs off the branch above it," He indicated where spinndely branch was just over the first, "When it realized that there was a snake. It fly off hurridley before the snake could strike, and got away uninjured.

Satified with his answer, Will sat back down in the saddle, facing Halt as he did so.

Halt, for his part, was inpressed. He couldn't see the snake print from his distance, but he was glad that Will had noticed the bird had flown away in a hurry, and then sought the reason why. Usually, thought Halt, curiosity is a ranger's best friend.

"Good job." Halt told the apprentice, receiving a grin in return. He quickly smothered it however. "Maybe next time, you'll notice that the bird couldn't have been a female because at this time of year, they have to keep the eggs warm. It's that male that goes out and collects everything until the babies hatch."

Will's happiness faded some, but it still left a warm glow in his heart.

"At night, it becomes harder to see things so you have to make sure you investigate everything. If you think that you see something, check it out. If you put it off as a trick of the light and end up getting attacked by a bear because you didn't investigate it's tracks, you'll be sorry when you're dead."

Will listened intently. He found himself helplessly draw in by the older male's voice. He felt his focus zoning in and out. He really was tired. Would Halt let him sleep in? Will hoped so.

Halt was about to point out a track left by a raccoon when he heard something heavy hit the ground. Turnung around sharply, the ranger saw his apprentice sprawled out across the ground.

Halt leapt out of the saddle and knelt down by Will's side. The boy was unconscious, and he sported a nasty lump on his head. He lifted Will off the ground and laid him across Abelard's saddle. After climbing up himself, Halt settled Will into an upright position so that they were chest to back; Will was in front so Hakt could keep him from falling off again.

While Halt just wanted to gallop back to the house, he knew that any unnessicary movement of Will's head could damage him further, so he forced himself to keep a walk.

What felt like hours later, Halt carried Will into the cabin, laying him down on his bed and gently tucking him in. Halt checked the lump on the boy's head, covering it with a cold, damp cloth, and then laid down beside Will to get some rest.

**Oh poor Will. I hope he feels better soon. I doubt Halt will do anything to him while he's injured. Thanks for reading, wonderful people, and please, as always, R&R!**

**~Ko**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Hello again! I hope you like this next chapter! I own nothing about ranger's apprentice, but John Flanagan does!**

Halt paced around the cabin for perhaps the five-hundredth time that morning. He would go outside and try to do some chores, only to stop and go to check on his apprentice. With a sigh, Halt sat down and rested his head in his hands.

Why was he so worried anyway? It's not like Will was fragile or anything. He had a rather thick skull, in fact… More than likely, Will would be better by the end of the day.

Halt's head raised suddenly as Will moaned and turned; though he stayed asleep. As his pulse returned to normal, Halt reviewed his problem again. He loved Will, though he didn't know why.

But Will was fifteen, and a _male _for crying out loud! Halt had no idea what the penalties were for relationships between two men, but he didn't think it would just be a few awkward stares. He might be able to investigate that the next time he headed up to Castle Redmont. Hopefully, whatever the punishment was would be enough to convince his weird hormones that he couldn't love Will.

Halt gazed affectionately at the young boy's face and once again, he couldn't stop his heart from beating slightly faster. His hand moved without him noticing to brush away the hair that had fallen over Will's eyes.

"And now you're acting like a young girl in love..." Halt mumbled gently.

Will woke up while Halt was once again attempting to do chores. He peeked his eyes open, moving a hand upwards to shade his face from the afternoon sun that was glaring in through his small window.

He sat up slowly, almost blacking out again at the pain that was pounding through his skull. He licked his lips, but his tongue was equally dry. "Water…" Will managed to croak, and gently swung his legs over the side of the bed. Padding slowly, he made his way into the combined kitchen and living area before filling a cup with water collected from the well.

Will looked at the water, puzzled. He certainly didn't remember fetching water that morning.

Did Halt do it?

As will was sipping his water, he, of course, did not notice Halt come in the door and walk over to him until the man spoke.

"You finally woke up." Halt said.

"Halt!" Will replied in surprise. "How long was I asleep for?"

"The whole day, pretty much. Its nearly five now. How's your head?"

"It's alright. Sorry I fell…" Will began.

"Don't apologize. As long as you don't have any problems remembering everything I've taught you so far, you're good." Will still looked a bit upset, but Halt continued on, "You can rest for the rest of today, but tomorrow we start again bright and early."

"Okay. Thank you, Halt."

Will went back and lay down in his bed. He had expected to stay awake and think for a while, but instead he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Halt watched him sleep, then went to finish the chores he never really started.

**Sorry, this one is rather short. I only wrote it on the plane home, so… Anyway, I'll be trying my hardest to do weekly updates so that I feel a bit more orderly. Thanks for reading!**

**~Ko**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I know that I'm one day late, but think of it this way; next time, I'm one day early! Anyway, my power went out, and it just came back on soooo I'm posting now! I hope y'all enjoy!**

It was a cold, frigid day in Redmont Fief, and a thick blanket of snow covered the ground all around. Halt and Will were riding through the forest, identifying animal tracks as they went.

"Now, what's that one over to your right?" Halt asked Will, leaning across his apprentice as he pointed out the new set of tracks.

Will let himself focus on Halt for a moment, and the way his heart leapt every time his mentor came close, before putting all of his energy into the task at hand.

"Rabbit." Will replied with confidence.

"Just one?" Halt replied curtly.

"Or… Rabbits?" Will said. "Three of them?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Halt asked.

Will swallowed as he remembered the countless times Halt had said that during his apprenticeship already. "Three rabbits."

"Good." Was all Halt said.

As they kept riding, Will saw an unfamiliar track. Rather than wait and let Halt come to it, he, of course, asked the question, "What animal is that?"

"Good eye." Halt replied. "That's one that you don't see very often- A wild boar. And a big one, by the looks of it."

So, there they were, at a boar hunt. Will sat nervously on Tug, seeking reassurance in the little pony's rock-steady stance. He glanced across all the warriors at Halt, who gave him small nod.

He also looked at Horace. The other apprentice looked just as nervous as himself. Will didn't feel any mockery towards his life-long enemy, though. He actually thought that Horace was incredibly brave to be on the front line.

Then, the giant bush surrounded by warriors began to shake. Will froze as the dogs were released, baying loudly as they attacked the boar. His pulse picked up rapidly as the monster jumped from the bush, and charged towards one of the younger knights.

Will's breath caught in his throat as the boar impaled itself on the shaft, and the wood bent under its strength. Then, the force behind the attack suddenly diminished. Everyone present seemed to relax a little bit as they realized the boar was dead.

The warriors broke the circle and headed over to the young man to congratulate him. Horace walked past Will to give his condolences to the young knight, but paused briefly beside his childhood enemy. He was debating whether or not to say something about their fight.

Horace was still debating when Will was the bush move again. Then, what might have possibly been the worst case scenario happened- another wild boar, this one even bigger than the first, charged out. Most of the knights had broken rank, and no one was prepared.

Then, to make matters worse, the boar headed straight for Horace. Will gave a shout, pointing at the threat, and Horace whipped his head around.

Calmly, coolly, Horace turned, setting the ash pole into the ground as he had been briefly taught, when his foot slid in the ice, and he ended up sprawling on the ground. Will watched frantically, then slid down from Tug's saddle, drawing an arrow and pulling back his bow string.

He released the arrow and watched it fly and hit the boar's shoulder.

A miss.

Will barely had time to run and doge out of the way of the charging boar before it slashed him to pieces. As the boar rounded and came at him again, he took another shot.

And missed again.

He ducked behind a tree this time. Luckily, it didn't snap in half against the boar's charge.

Will moved quickly into the open again to get another shot, but the boar had learned its lesson. This time, it came at Will slowly, slashing its tusks slowly back in forth as it trotted forward. Tug came up then and kicked the boar hard in the side, before dancing away from the slashing tusks.

Will threw his Saxe knife at the boar without thinking of anything except his horse. He couldn't bear the thought of the boar slashing at the pony's legs, and possibly crippling him forever.

The boar, now reminded of his original target, started for Will once more. The apprentice, not knowing what else to do, sank down to one knee, holding out his throwing knife as if it was the long ash poles the knights had. His mind was filled with fear, but he felt strangely calm. He only thought that he had to kill the boar, and then everything would be alright.

Then, Will heard the best sound in the world. a loud _hiss-thud!_, then a black shafted arrow appeared in the boar's left side, right on target and right in the heart.

The boar, rather suddenly, fell over and died.

Halt slid down from Abelard's saddle and ran to his apprentice. "What were you planning on doing with that?" He asked Will, worry strong in his voice. He covered his apprentice in his cloak, wrapping his arms around him at the same time.

Will leaned into the comforting touch of his mentor. He was thankful for the cloak, because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop tears from leaking out of his eyes. He grew calmer and leaned more into Halt. Why did he feel so at peace in his arms? This man that did so much weird stuff to him- this middle aged _pervert_- made him feel so safe and secure.

Will discarded all of his strange thoughts. For, he could let himself become spoiled by the man that he was beginning to love.

**So, I hope you liked it! This scene in the book has to be one of my favorites between Will and Halt. I think it's incredibly sweet and touching how Will depends on Halt, and looks up to him. Once again, sorry for being late!**

**~Ko**


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